Growing instructions for Lima Bush Beans

A good selection for containers and small gardens also. Lima Bush beans are very simple to grow; they do well in most gardens and in most soil types. They should be directly seeded when soil reaches 65-75F, and there is no longer a risk for a frost.

In order to have fresh beans all summer, reseed your bush bean patch every two weeks and pick them frequently. If you are using an untreated bush bean seed, plant them thicker than usual, and later thin them to the desired density.

Plant in spring a few weeks after planting snap beans until early summer.

Leave a distance between plants of 10 inches.

Rows should be spaced 3 feet apart.

Keep soil moist during germination.

Once the lima beans reach around six inches high, apply manure as side dressing.

Place natural fertilizer on either side of the plant, no closer than 2 inches, to prevent burning by direct contact. This is especially true of chicken manure, which should only be used for digging in the soil in the fall for next year's planting. Mulch topsoil to maintain moisture.

Lima beans are ready when the beans are prominent in the pods. For dried lima beans, gather pods when they have turned brown and the seeds rattle inside.